# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=240 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 241 --- ## [Touch Tone Pads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touch-tone-pads/119426)
**Author:** [@j40bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j40bob)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 26, 2002, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touch-tone-pads/119426 "2002-07-26T06:46:40Z")
RE: the article on why touch tone pads are the opposite of caluculator pads. Years ago I heard the story that the reason for the difference is that IBM owned the rights (copyright? patent?) on the calculator set up and t… --- ## [Ancient Greeks, Color Perception and Painted Statues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-greeks-color-perception-and-painted-statues/120582)
**Author:** [@Humble\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humble_Servant)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2002, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-greeks-color-perception-and-painted-statues/120582 "2002-07-25T07:05:53Z")
Here’s the link to the classic column, “Could Early Man See Only Three Colors?” The column quotes Lazarus Geiger, a \[Victorian?\] naturalist\[!\], as follows: I’m wondering whether the Berlin/Kay book cited (or any smart… --- ## [Belly Button Lint](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belly-button-lint/120296)
**Author:** [@Saxifrage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saxifrage)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2002, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belly-button-lint/120296 "2002-07-25T05:02:43Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_080.html That’s all well and good to say that it comes from cotton sticking to your wet navel but it doesn’t explain why it’s always blue or grey, even when one never wears blue o… --- ## [AT&T the only phone company](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-the-only-phone-company/119527)
**Author:** [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2002, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-the-only-phone-company/119527 "2002-07-24T15:50:35Z")
According to the staff report in http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mphonedial.html, AT&T was the only phone company in the 1960s. That’s funny - I could have sworn that mine was supplied by the GPO (General Post Offic… --- ## [If the world's more dangerous now does it matter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-worlds-more-dangerous-now-does-it-matter/118984)
**Author:** [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-worlds-more-dangerous-now-does-it-matter/118984 "2002-07-24T13:49:58Z")
Cecil’s column is a response to a question about child safety etc, whether they can ride on public transport and so on. Cecil answers as if an absolute rise in crime figures is the beginning and end of the question. Mo… --- ## [what about red jell-o?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-red-jell-o/120349)
**Author:** [@tsukinotenshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsukinotenshi)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-red-jell-o/120349 "2002-07-23T16:25:33Z")
Is it true gelatin is made from decaying animal hides? Well as if that wasn’t gross enough, in english class we were watching this national geographic video and it said that red jell-o is made from squished up bugs. Na… --- ## [the "Three men and a baby" ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-men-and-a-baby-ghost/120087)
**Author:** [@SuicideSamurai67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuicideSamurai67)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-men-and-a-baby-ghost/120087 "2002-07-23T05:27:26Z")
If the kid in the window was actually Ted Dansons life size cardboard cut out then why doesnt the person in the window appear to be Teds hight?Also,if it was behind the curtains for the whole scene then why cant you see… --- ## [Fart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fart/119783)
**Author:** [@Bodvar\_Bjarke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bodvar_Bjarke)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2002, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fart/119783 "2002-07-22T09:38:44Z")
Well, not really a comment but reading this http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_079.html I remembered an old Swedish folk riddle: What aims at the heel but hits the nose? --- ## [Is the world more dangerous now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-more-dangerous-now/118671)
**Author:** [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-more-dangerous-now/118671 "2002-07-21T19:00:26Z")
Cecil, In this column you compare (or contrast?) the crime figures from this last century. I have no problem with the answer, but a though occurs to me. Is it possible that the homocide rates (per capita) have not go… --- ## [Whose face used to be on the dime?...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-face-used-to-be-on-the-dime/1415)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-face-used-to-be-on-the-dime/1415 "2002-07-21T17:35:16Z")
Just wanted to let you know that the person who was on the dime before Roosevelt (the “Mercury” dime, that is) was famous (famous then, anyway) early-20th-century artists’ model and nude silent film star Audrey Munson. S… --- ## [The lingering effects of asparagus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620)
**Author:** [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lingering-effects-of-asparagus/119620 "2002-07-21T16:46:33Z")
Side baseball anecdote for those of you who are interested: Babe Ruth was not only the greatest baseball player up to his time, he was also one crude ba\*tard. Still, due to his huge celbrity, he was always being invited… --- ## [Lactase deficiency?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lactase-deficiency/119791)
**Author:** [@joyofdiscord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyofdiscord)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2002, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lactase-deficiency/119791 "2002-07-21T09:31:33Z")
No doubt some of you will think I am being oversensitive with this concern, but if you hear me out, you may come to agree with me that this is a legitimate concern, especially considering the crusade against ignorance pr… --- ## [Telephones and calculators](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telephones-and-calculators/119397)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telephones-and-calculators/119397 "2002-07-20T21:23:58Z")
Greetings. In Why do telephone keypads count from the top down, while calculators count from the bottom up?, SDSTAFF Dex writes: I find this rather hard to believe, given that calculators predated cash registers by so… --- ## [What is the sound of one hand clapping?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/119078)
**Author:** [@carolinemcginn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carolinemcginn)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/119078 "2002-07-19T15:05:30Z")
I always thought it was ‘cl’… --- ## [Ivy League Schools](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivy-league-schools/119755)
**Author:** [@mistris75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistris75)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivy-league-schools/119755 "2002-07-19T05:11:06Z")
I read the column on why Ivy League Schools are called Ivy League schools. As interesting as the artical sounds, I learned, In my American Civilization class, that Ivy legue schools are called that because they are the f… --- ## [Starve a cold, feed a fever.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starve-a-cold-feed-a-fever/119685)
**Author:** [@abdul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abdul)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starve-a-cold-feed-a-fever/119685 "2002-07-18T21:05:47Z")
I always thought the phrase meant that when you had a cold, you “starved” it by keeping as warm as possible, and conversely “fed” a fever by doing the same. --- ## [Lying sack of sh\*t](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-sack-of-sh-t/119081)
**Author:** [@StoliOlives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoliOlives)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lying-sack-of-sh-t/119081 "2002-07-18T13:39:56Z")
Where’d the phrase “lying sack of sh\*t” come from? Cecil used it in his column about pathological liars. I’ve been using the phrase for many years but I don’t remember where I first heard it. I was tickled to see it t… --- ## [Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, and a minor nitpick.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-floyd-dark-side-of-the-moon-and-a-minor-nitpick/116883)
**Author:** [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-floyd-dark-side-of-the-moon-and-a-minor-nitpick/116883 "2002-07-17T16:21:16Z")
This may qualify me for the “Stupidest SDMB Nitpick Award” but you gotta dream: First the article: Does the music in Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon coincide with the action of The Wizard of Oz? Which states: My … --- ## [bumblebee flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bumblebee-flight/1794)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bumblebee-flight/1794 "2002-07-17T15:31:48Z")
Today’s article: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_045.html I recall reading somewhere (I think Skeptical Inquirer) about the origin of the urban legend about not understanding how bumblebees can fly. IIRC, it rel… --- ## [telephone dials](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telephone-dials/118612)
**Author:** [@m23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/m23)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2002, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telephone-dials/118612 "2002-07-17T11:53:08Z")
There actually is a VERY good reason why the 0 is last on a rotary dial phone. In pulse dial telephones, the number 0 consists of 10 pulses. It could not come first with forcing the redesign of the pulse dialing syste… --- ## [Stop "farting" around and answer the rest of the question!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-farting-around-and-answer-the-rest-of-the-question/118669)
**Author:** [@roesinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roesinge)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-farting-around-and-answer-the-rest-of-the-question/118669 "2002-07-16T02:57:40Z")
Your article: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_079.html fails to answer the original querant’s question of whether it is safer to “vent” than to “squelch”. Some claim that “holding it in” can lead to diverticul… --- ## [Looking for source on saint article](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-source-on-saint-article/119158)
**Author:** [@Sanchia\_the\_Sly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanchia_the_Sly)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-source-on-saint-article/119158 "2002-07-16T01:20:47Z")
I really loved the article of who was the worst saint, and I’m not saying that just because I want something. But I do want something. The topic of the nonexistant and eventually desainted saints gave me a marvelous id… --- ## [The weighty matter of baseball](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weighty-matter-of-baseball/118481)
**Author:** [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weighty-matter-of-baseball/118481 "2002-07-15T21:51:31Z")
In Can a baseball be hit farther at altitude (I hope I entered that link right!) I’m afraid the Straight Dope staff has led Cecil astray. (Alas, I have trouble making physics humourous. Only my attempts at understandi… --- ## [is the world more dangerous... demographics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-more-dangerous-demographics/119064)
**Author:** [@zipperX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zipperX)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-more-dangerous-demographics/119064 "2002-07-15T15:19:16Z")
As usual Cecil does a good job cutting through the BS, but fails to draw any connection to the changing murder rate and some rather obvious demographic changes. He says “things started getting crazy after the Kennedy ass… --- ## [Stigmata](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stigmata/118158)
**Author:** [@pixievixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pixievixen)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2002, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stigmata/118158 "2002-07-14T23:10:19Z")
I was reading a comment on one of Cecil’s letters…i cant seem to find it now, but it was someone commenting on the fact that some stigmatists have wounds through their wrists and some through their hands. He pointed out … --- ## [Could he wag it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-he-wag-it/117936)
**Author:** [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-he-wag-it/117936 "2002-07-14T15:32:54Z")
Cecil Claims Some Kid Had a 9" Tail Could he curl it? Wag it? I mean, with muscles and blood vessels and nerve endings and …well, could he? --- ## [Smoking Banana skins](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-banana-skins/118007)
**Author:** [@Sunshinekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshinekid)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-banana-skins/118007 "2002-07-14T07:29:51Z")
we are now in the process of cooking banana skins, we feel this is necessery because we have ran out of green, so we are gonna be scabby students and make a broth aout of them, Ill keep you posted if we survive! --- ## [Bicycle "trail"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycle-trail/117911)
**Author:** [@SoDamnHip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoDamnHip)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bicycle-trail/117911 "2002-07-12T11:40:28Z")
Hmm, if you draw a line straight down the steering axis of your bicycle, it seems to me the wheel contacts the ground AHEAD of where the steering axis intersects the ground. Certainly the hub of the wheel is ahead of it… --- ## [Is/Was Franki Valli really a castrato?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479 "2002-07-12T01:17:45Z")
Here, the Master says that he was. But I can never tell when people are kidding. So was he, or wasn’t he? Who’s got the Straight Dope? --- ## [Finally, a report about Denver!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-a-report-about-denver/118434)
**Author:** [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-a-report-about-denver/118434 "2002-07-11T19:18:05Z")
Can a baseball be hit farther at high altitude? A report about the Rockies? But they suck! I have waited so long for this day, yet I am shamed by its coming. Interesting, yes. Insulting to the writer of the question… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=239) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=241)